Rotary gas-engine.



S. HEATH.

ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8,1911.

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ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED sr.1=1-.s,1911.

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SPENCER HEATH, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT. OF COIIUMBIA, ASSIGNOR T0 GYRO MOTOR COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATIONIOF THE DISTRICT 0F COLUMBIA.

ROTARY GAS-ENGIN E.

especially to the construction of the exhaust.4

ports which are opened to give the initial relief to the expanded gases.

An object of the invention is to provide a plurality of exhaust ports which are so constructed and arranged that an initial re lief of the expanded gases may be quickly accomplished, together with means for preventing the escape of the gases in the engine casing, through said exhaust ports on the outward stroke of the piston. p

In the drawingswhich show by Way of illustration one embodiment of the inven' tiem-Figure 1 is a plan view of a rotary engine casing having a plurality of cylinders attached thereto, one of said cylinders being in section and the remainder of the cylinders being broken away, the cylinder..`

in section having my improved auxiliary exhaust ports formed therein; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through a cylinder on a large scale, showing the piston in position for uncovering the auxiliary exhaust ports; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a cylinder hav-` ing my improvements applied thereto, and

showing the means for closing the auxiliary exhaust port.

I have shown my invention as applied to a rotary gas engine which includes anuengine casing 1 mounted on a shaft 2, so that said casing may rotate thereon.- Said engine casing 1, as herein illustrated, supports seven cylinders 3. All of the cylinders are alike in construction, and, therefore, only .one is shown in detail.

. which is pivoted to a piston rod 8,l .GQ11116011-` Specification of Letters lPatent. Application led September 8, 1911. Serial No. 648,368.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

ed to a crank of usual construction on 'the shaft 2 The piston 7 may be provided with an intake valve 9, so that the gases for operating the engine may be passed into the crank casing andA through the inlet valves 9 into the cylinders. t will be obvious, however, from certain aspects of the invention, that the cylinders may be supplied with a fresh charge of gas in any of the well known Ways.

In order that the cylinder may be'quickly relieved of the expanded gases, I have pro vided a plurality of auxiliary or primary exhaust ports lO-that is, exhaust ports which are uncovered before the main exhaust port is opened to allow the first or initial relief of the expanded gases. The cylinder adjacent the end of the piston stroke is thickj ened `as at 11, and said auxiliary exhaust ports are. arranged in said thickened portion and are preferably inclined, so that the longitudinal axes thereof meet at a commonV point in the vcombustion chamber. 'By providing the thickened portion 11, I ain able to increase the number of auxiliarv ports'l over what has heretofore been used, without in any way weakening the cylinder at this point. By this increased number of auxiliary exhaust ports, I am able tov very gases. Of course, after the initial relief of the gases, the remainder of the. burnt gases are forced through the main exhaust valve quickly relieve the cylinder of the expanded 6. Furthermore, by the inclined exhaust i port which is preferably circular in cross section, the opening of the exhaust port into the cylinder will be elliptical in shape, with the major axis of the ellipse vextending lo`nfore, the gases are quickly relieved through the number of exhaust ports. yet the gases will be gradually released in each exhaust In a rotary gas engine having a number' of cylinders, such as illustrated in Fig. 1, the length of the cylindrical ortion of the piston' is necessarily limited, or the reason gitudinally of the cylinder. While, there that if said cylindrical portion extends into the casing upon the extreme inward stroke of the piston, it is liable` to contact with 'the cylindricalgportion-of the piston in the next adjacent cylinder. It is not desirable If toincrease the length of the cylinders so asl to permit an increase in the length of the "piston, and, therefore, it may be desirable fin -an engine of this type to allow the auxiliary exhaust ports to be uncovered by the pistons as they move outward to the extreme end of their stroke. It has been' found desirable also to lubricate the piston by supplwying lubricating oil thereto through the -crank casing. The centrifugal force will carry the lubricating oil 'out into the cylinders, and by the use of a', cone-shaped guide 12, the oil will'be properly directed to the Vwearing surfaces .of the piston. However,

when an engine casing is' provided with the I usual-auxillary exhaust ports, whlch are uncovered by the piston as it moves to the outer end of its stroke, there is a loss of the .-ulubrica'ting oil through the auxiliary ex- 20 haust ports. As the oil is carried outward by'centrifugal force, it will pass into these ports, and if the ports are larranged at right angles to the walls of the cylinder, itIwill t is consequently necessary to'provide the ports with valves to' prevent the loss of the lubricating oil. Furthermore, as the piston moves inward to uncover the exhaust ports, the lubricating oil in the ports will be blown out and burnt with the escaping hot gases. AByvmyconstruction, however, wherein the auxiliary exhaust ports are inclined relative to the wall of the cylinder, and also inclined .so that any lubricant in said ports will be carried by centrifugal force along the walls thereof into the cylinder, rather than out of the same, I am able to prevent the escape of any of the lubricant through the auxiliary ports without the use of any valves for closing the same.

When the crank casing of the engine is used as a receiving chamber for the explosivel gases which are vled ,to the cylinder through the intake ,valve in the piston head, and whenfthe primary or auxiliary exhaust ports are uncovered by the outward move,- ment of the piston, it is necessary to provide some meansifor closing the auxiliary or primary ports to prevent either the undue'suction of air, or the escape ofthe explosive gases through these ports.

As shown in Fig. 1, the'thickened portion 11 of the cylinder is formed with a shoulder 13, which shoulder lies in a plane cutting the longitudinal axis of the cylinder substantially at right angles. The auxiliary eX- haust ports 10 open inthe center of the face of the shoulder 13.

A ring 14 is placed around the cylinder and isl adapted to rest againstthe shoulder 13. Said ring may bemade in sections rigidly secured together to facilitate the placing of the same on the cylinder. This flat ring-will close all of the auxiliary or primary exhaust ports when pressed against the shoulder. The centrifugal force acting upon the ring when the engine is rotating, will yieldingly hold said ring against :said shoulder." and lclose said auxiliary exhaust ports. As soon, however, as the piston .head uncovers these exhaust ports on the inner vstroke thereof, the'expanding gases rushing through said exhaust ports will force the ring rom its seat on the shoulder 13, and escape. When the piston head moves to the other end of its stroke, the ring will be seated by centrifugal force and thereby prevent the drawing in of air through the crank casing on the suction stroke of the piston.

In order to hold the ring 14 on its seat when the engine is being started7 I have provided a plurality of supporting springs 15, which springs, as herein shown, are leaf shape, and are attached to the cylinder by suitable screws 16. The ring will rest on said springs, which will yieldingly hold the same vagainst its seat. It will be understood that in place of the leaf springs, any other suitable means may be provided for yieldingly holding the ring seated against the shoulder 13 when the engine is being started.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made, without departing from the spirit of my invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rotary gas engine including in com-v' bination, a crank casing, a cylinder carried thereby, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of auxiliary exhaust ports ex-` tending through the wall of the cylinder at points adjacent the inner extreme throw of' the piston, -a piston movable relative to said cylinder and adapted to uncover said auxiliary exhaust port-s at each end of its stroke, means for supplying the combustion chamber of the cylinder' with fuel gases from the crank casing, and yieldi .1g means for closing said auxiliary exhaust. ports to prevent. air passing through the same to the crank casmg.

2. A rotary gas engine including in com-' bination, a crank casing, a cylinder carried thereby, said cylinder being provided with a. plurality ofV auxiliary exhaust ports eX- tending through the wall of the vcylinder at points adjacent the inner extreme throw of the piston, a piston movable relative to said cylinder and adapted to uncover said auxiliary exhaust ports at each end of its stroke, means for supplying the combination chamber of the cylinder with fuel gases from the crank casing, and yielding means operated by centrifugal force inci-y bination, a crank casing, a cylinder carried thereby, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of auxiliaryV exhaust ports extendingthrough the wall of the cylinder at points adjacent the inner extreme throw of the piston, a piston movable relative to said cylinder and adapted to'uncover said auxiliary exhaust ports at each end of its stroke, means for supplying the combustion chamber of the cylinder with fuel gases 4from the crank casing, said cylinder at the region of the auxiliary exhaust ports being thickened and formed ,with a shoulder, and a rino adapted tomove outwardly on the cylin er to engage said shoulder to close said auxilia exhaust ports, and means for yieldingly lll lding .said ring on said shoulder. y

4. A rotary gas engine including in combination, a crank casing,l a cylinder carried thereby, said cylinder being provided with a plurality of auxiliaryv exhaust ports extending through the wall of the cylinder at points adjacent the inner extreme throw of the piston, al piston movable relative to said said cylinder and adapted to uncover said auxiliary' exhaust port-s at each end of its stroke, means for supplying the co1nbustion chamber of the cylinder with fuel gases from the crank casing, said cylinder having a thickened portion forming a shoulder in the region of the auxiliary exhaust ports, and said auxiliary exhaust ports being inclined toward a common point Within the combustion chamber and opening through the face of said shoulder, and a ring surrounding the cylinder and movable lon tudinally thereon into engagement with said shoulder for closing said auxiliary ports. y o

5. A rotary gas engine including in combination, a crank casing, a cylinder carried thereby, said cylinder beingprovided witha plurality of auxiliary exhaust ports extending through the wall of the cylinder at points adjace t theA inner extreme throw* of thepiston, a piston movable relative to said cylinder and adapted to uncover said auxiliary exhaust ports at each end' of its stroke, means for supplying the combustion chamber of the cylinder with -fuel gases from the crank casing, said cylinder having SPENCER HEATH.

Witnesses A. M. PARKINS, E. G. MAsoN.

Copies of this patent may be` obtained for4 vo cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

